Sec. 531.0993. OBESITY PREVENTION PILOT PROGRAM

(a) The commission and the Department of State Health Services shall coordinate to establish a pilot program designed to:

(1) decrease the rate of obesity in child health plan program enrollees and Medicaid recipients;

(2) improve the nutritional choices and increase physical activity levels of child health plan program enrollees and Medicaid recipients; and

(3) achieve long-term reductions in child health plan and Medicaid program costs incurred by the state as a result of obesity.

(b) The commission and the Department of State Health Services shall implement the pilot program for a period of at least 24 months in one or more health care service regions in this state, as selected by the commission. In selecting the regions for participation, the commission shall consider the degree to which child health plan program enrollees and Medicaid recipients in the region are at higher than average risk of obesity.

(c) In developing the pilot program, the commission and the Department of State Health Services shall identify measurable goals and specific strategies for achieving those goals. The specific strategies may be evidence-based to the extent evidence-based strategies are available for the purposes of the program.

(d) The commission shall submit a report on or before each November 1 that occurs during the period the pilot program is operated to the standing committees of the senate and house of representatives having primary jurisdiction over the child health plan and Medicaid programs regarding the results of the program. In addition, the commission shall submit a final report to the committees regarding those results not later than three months after the conclusion of the program. Each report must include:

(1) a summary of the identified goals for the program and the strategies used to achieve those goals;

(2) an analysis of all data collected in the program as of the end of the period covered by the report and the capability of the data to measure achievement of the identified goals;

(3) a recommendation regarding the continued operation of the program; and

(4) a recommendation regarding whether the program should be implemented statewide.

(e) The executive commissioner may adopt rules to implement this section.

Added by Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 1212 , Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2009.